Suspects identified in food bank theft

Deputies identified two people suspected of breaking into the Fairfield Food Bank in February after a man spotted his pickup in surveillance video footage of the theft that was aired on TV news.

The man told police that he let a friend borrow his truck on the night of the Feb. 26 break-in because he was too drunk to drive. He said that when she returned, the truck was full of food. Some of the food was given to another friend who was at the apartment in Tekoa he was visiting, according to court documents.

The man said the food in the truck included turkeys, boxes of canned food and cupcakes. An itemized list of stolen items provided by the food bank includes eight turkeys and nearly 500 cans of food along with snacks and packaged meals.

The surveillance video show a man and a woman making repeated trips from the food bank building to the truck before they drove off. Deputies believe they also have identified the man involved in the theft.

Detectives earlier spoke to the woman, who admitted taking the food in part because of her methamphetamine addiction, said Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Deputy Mark Gregory.

Whitman County deputies have assisted in the case by helping identify the suspects, who are well known to law enforcement there, Gregory said.

No arrests have been made in the case. Deputies believe the duo may also be responsible for another break-in at the same food bank in October and the investigation is continuing.

“We do have probable cause, but we’re still trying to build our case,” Gregory said.